Safe



Patented Apr. 28, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE ROY a GRAMER AND JESSE r. ,GRAMER, OF- KANSAS c TY, MISSOURI SAFE Application filed June 25,

Our invention relates to money safes and while we have designed a safe which may be used wherever desired, the present safe is I intended more particularly for usein gas oline filling stations for protecting the daily receipts from theft. i

In carrying out our invention we have provided a burglar proof safe with a depository chute through which all of the money re ceived each day is to be deposited excepting a small amount which is to be retained by the attendant for making change. The main door of the safe is normally secured in closed position with a combination lock having a removable knob and dial which is carried by an authorized collector so that neither the attendant nor a burglar can open saifd dor and gain access to the contents of the sa e.

The inner portion of the depository chute terminates in a baifle so that money in the safe cannot be withdrawn with a wire, or

other instrument inserted through said chute. We have also provided a change container which is adapted to fit into the money chute and a plug door for closing the entrance to said chute, so that when it is time to close the filling station for the night sufficient change for carrying on business on the following morning can be deposited in the change container and secured in the chute V V with the plug door'which has a suitable lock safe.

Fig. 2 is a broken front elevation showing the upper portion of the safe with the main door thereof in open position.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the 1928. Serial No. 288,140.

plug door employed in carrying out the invention.

Fig. 4 is adetail perspective view of the change container.

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the removable dial.

Referring in detail to the different parts,2 in general, designates the safe which includes a tubular pedestal 4 surmounted by a money compartment-6. The pedestal 4 is welded or otherwise firmly secured to the money compartment 6 and is of suflicient length to extend into a pit 8, which is excavated to a suitable depth below the surface of the floor 10. The pedestal 4 is provided with one or 06 more reinforcingrods 12, one of which is shown on Fig. 1.

Before welding or otherwise securing the pedestal 4 to the inoney'compartment 6the rod 12 is passed through a hole in a lug 14, 7

depending from the compartment 6, and then bent downwardly at its intermediate portion so that after the pedestal 4 has beensecured to thecompartment' 6 the ends 16 of 7 said rod may be bent outwardlyand upwardly to project outside of the lower por-' tion of the pedestal 4. Hence, when the 'latteris inserted in thepit and concrete or other suitable material 18 is poured into said pit the pedestal 4 and the ends 16 of the rod 12 will become firmly anchored. Before placing the pedestal 4 in the pit 8 said pedestal is filled with concrete or other suitable material 20. The pedestal 4 and the material 20 are highly resistant 'todrill, torch 35 and sawfor balking the efforts of a burglar in attempting to sever said pedestal for the purpose of carrying off the money compartment 6. l

The "money compartment 6 has a .relatively large opening 22 through which the money can be removed. Said opening 22 is normally closed by a main door 24 mounted upon a hinge 26 and provided, preferably, with a combination lock 28. The lock 28 is controlled by a shaft 30 which extends outwardly through the door 24 and terminates in an angular portion 32 .for engagement with the recessed portion 34 of .aremovable we knob 36, which is provided with the usual dial 38.

The upper portion of the compartment 6 is provided with an elongated money chute so that currency can be dropped into said compartment without opening the main door 24. In order to prevent the money from being extracted from the compartment 6 by means of a. wire, or any other device which might be inserted through the chute 40, the lower port-ion of the latter is curved or arranged at an angle to its upper portion, see Fig. 1, and protected by a surrounding baffie 42 having serrated margins 44 for scrap in off the money while the devices were being withdrawn from the chute 40.

46 designates a change container adapted to be placed within the money chute 40. Said change container 46 may be of any suit able construction, but in the present instance we have shown it consisting of front and rear walls 48 united at their lower portions with a bottom wall 50 and a pair of rigid relatively short transverse side walls 52. The front and side walls 48 flare upwardly to provide a relatively wide mouth for the ready insertion of change into the container 46, and said walls 48 are resilient and curved so that they can readily accommodate themselves to the curvature of the money chute 40 while being inserted in the latter. After the change container 46 has been placed within the chute 40 the front and rear walls 48 tend to spring apart and thus frictionally engage the adjacent walls of the chute 40 and thereby hold said change container in place.

The change container 46 is prevented from being placed too far into the compartment 6 by outturned flanges 56 at the upper ends of the walls 48 and which are adapted to contact a shoulder 56 formed within the chute 40 at a suitable distance from the outer end of the latter. The upper portion of one of the walls 48 is provided with a stud 58 which is inserted in a sleeve 60 at the upper port-ion of the other wall 48, preparatory to placing the container 46 in the chute 40, so that said container 46 may be removed with a hook or other suitable device adapted to engage said sleeve 60.

62 designates a plug door adapted to be inserted in the upper portion of the money chute 40 for the purpose of closing the latter. Said plug door 62 is provided with a suitable lock 64 having oppositely disposed bolts 66 which may be thrown out into corresponding recesses in opposite sides of the money chute 40.

When the safe is installed in a filling station or other place the main door 24 is normally maintained in locked position and as the knob 36 is in the possession of a collector who only periodically visits the station it is evident that the regular attendant cannot be forced to open the safe by burglars.

As money is taken in by the attendant, all but enough to make change is inserted in the compartment 6 through the chute 40 for safe keeping until such time as the collector calls with the knob 36. lVhen the filling station is to be closed for the night the attendant t-akes the change in his possession and places it in the container 46 which is then deposited in the chute 40, after which the entrance to said chute is closed with the plug door 62 which is locked in the chute so that a burglar cannot extract money through said chute 40, or insert an explosive therein.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that we have provided a safe embodying the advantages above pointed out, and while we have shown one form of our invention we reserve all rights to such other forms and modifications as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed,

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A safe consisting of a pedestal, a compart-ment mounted upon said pedestal and provided with an opening and a money chute, a door for closing said opening, and a change container adapted to be inserted in said money chute.

2. A safe consisting of a tubular pedestal and provided with an opening and a money a chute, a door for closing said opening, a change container adapted to be inserted in said money chute, and means for closing said money chute.

3. In a safe, a compartment having at money chute, a change container adapted to fit within said chute, a door for closing the entrance to said chute, and means for locking said door.

4. In a burglar proof safe, a compartment having a money chute with an internal shoulder, a change container adapted to be inserted in said money chute, a flange on said change container adapted to abut said shoulder, and thereby limit the inward movement of the change container and a door for closing said money chute and provided with means for locking it in closed position.

5. In devices of the character described, a change container consisting of front and rear resilient walls which curve upwardly and forwardly, outturned flanges at the upper portions of said walls, a bottom wall uniting the lower ends of said front and rear walls, and rigid side walls connecting the lower portions of said front and rear walls.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

ROY A. CRAMER. JESSE F. CRAMER. 

